


First in Friendship

by chimneysmoke (recension)



Category: New Girl, Parks and Recreation
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-16
Updated: 2012-06-16
Packaged: 2017-11-07 20:59:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/435383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/recension/pseuds/chimneysmoke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Short & Sweet comment ficathon on LJ.</p><p>Prompt was: "Parks and Rec & New Girl, the gang from Apartment 4D goes on a roadtrip to Chicago, but the Manbulance breaks down somewhere in Central Indiana..."</p>
            </blockquote>





	First in Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a brief rambling drabble for a comment ficathon, not meant to be a great work. Thought I'd just x-post it here for posterity.

"No. No. No. No, no, no, no, no," Schmidt tapped at the steering wheel. "Not now, baby, not here."

"Schmidt," Jess gently warned him from the passenger seat. "Is that smoke?"

"No, it's not _smoke._ The Manbulance doesn't _smoke._ "

"Are you sure it's not picking up the habit?" she asked, gripping at the side door as Schmidt pulled off the road. Smoke began to billow from under the hood, and the engine gave an awful clang sound as it stopped firing. Jess jumped and yelped with a startle at the sound, waking Winston and Nick who were curled up together in the backseat. The two men began to sit up half-asleep, looked at each other, and wordlessly detached to far opposite sides of the backseat.

When the car stopped, Schmidt got out to pop the hood and waved out a fan of exhaust, knowing already that there was no way he could fix what was wrong. Winston could, maybe, his own rust bucket had broken down enough times that he would be an idiot not to learn a little bit of car care, but this was The _Manbulance_ and not just anyone touched his baby.

"I knew this would be too much. I knew this trip would be too much on Him," Schmidt lovingly rubbed a head-light clear of dirt. "We didn't give Him enough time to rest!"

"We didn't change His oil before we left," Nick offered bruskly, stretching as he got out of the car, shutting his door. "Do we have any idea where we are?"

Jess had wandered over to an official looking park sign that was just across the street from where the car had given up. "Ramsett Park, Pawnee Indiana," she read out loud.

"We shouldn't have gone to Dollywood," Winston whined.

"If we had to go to Graceland, we were going to Dollywood. We all agreed on the itinerary at the start of this trip," Jess diplomatically explained, putting her hands on her hips, squinting as she looked around. "Besides, this looks like a pleasant enough place to kill a couple of hours."

"Yes, I'd like a tow to the nearest garage," Schmidt spoke into his phone, wandering around. "Great. Excellent. Now does this tow truck have a hydraulics-based suspension system? My car is very delicate, and I don't think..."

"Yes. Okay, but wouldn't it be best..."

"Right. Just the one, okay then. Thank you," he hung up. "It's gonna be about an hour and when they get here they're going to violate His suspension," Schmidt grumpily muttered, leaning against his door.

 

"Hi there!" a woman approached them from the park's edge, all grin, bright blond hair, and navy pantsuit. She gave a wave as she approached.

"This is a scene from a horror film. Oh God this is straight out of a horror film. She's going to invite us somewhere for lemonade and murder us and dump our bodies somewhere," Nick moaned softly, clearly uncomfortable.

"Nick this isn't West Virginia, okay?" Jess smiled warmly. "It's fine. Hello there!"

"Bit of car trouble?" she asked, finally arriving nearby, a bright smile on.

"It's not a _car_ ," Schmidt sourly insisted, about to explain the delicacies of the vehicle.

"What my friend _means_ to say is that a car implies a working use whereas ours is clearly going nowhere," Jess rambled, laughing uncomfortably to cover.

"Too true," Leslie agreed brightly. "My name is Leslie Knope and I'm the Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation here in Pawnee. I will say you couldn't have picked a finer spot to break down, really. Ramsett Park is one of our finest," she beamed proudly. "Where're you all coming from? Headed-to?"

"We're coming from Los Angeles," Nick answered. "Home of gang violence and mean streets," he tried to menace, clearly not over the threat of a stranger.

"Oh my," she smiled. "Long ways from home."

"We were on our way to Chicago," Schmidt explained, morose over the state of his beloved car. "I'm just going to sit with Him for a little bit while we wait," he explained, getting back in the driver's seat.

"Forgive Schmidt, he's not right in the head," Winston explained softly.

"Oh, that's all right," she accepted. "Would you guys like a lift to Newport Auto Body?"

"Actually that would be pretty great," Jess agreed.

Schmidt shook his head, rolling down his window to stick his head out of it. "I'm absolutely not leaving Him alone out here."

"I have to pee," Nick reluctantly agreed.

"Are you sure it's not a problem?" Jess asked the kind woman.

Leslie shook her head. "Absolutely not! The garage is right next to Pawnee City Hall. It's no trouble at all. I'd actually love to pick your brains about parks out in Los Angeles. My car's just up this way."

"Stay strong, Schmidt!" Jess called out, following the stranger towards a white Prius with the Parks and Recreation insignia plastered on the side, up at the entrance to the park.

Nick hung back until Winston dragged him along. 

"No public urination charges. They put you on the sex offender registry," Winston reminded his roommate.

"Jess is too trusting," Nick whined, looking back at Schmidt to catch him kissing the steering wheel, stroking it again.

"It's gonna be okay," Winston assured him. "We just won't drink anything that we don't pour ourselves."

 

Leslie and Jess seemed to get along quite well. Their positive attitudes made even the dullest conversations roll along—like one about Los Angeles' public parks despite the fact that Jess had admitted to never setting foot in one.

Nick raced into the City Hall building in search for a bathroom while Leslie gave Jess and Winston a brief tour, highlighting several incredibly gory murals and departments of the town that they would never need to know again.

"Hey gang," Leslie greeted her own Department, ushering in the strays she'd picked up.

"This is Jess, and this is Winston. Their car broke down outside Ramsett Park this morning," she explained. "I thought we might show them some Pawnee hospitality."

"Hey there, beautiful," Tom strutted over, taking Jess' hand, kissing it. "What's your name?"

"Oh," Jess murmured, uncomfortable, taking her hand back. "Um. Jess. Leslie just... said it..."

"What's crackin'? I'm Tom."

"And that's enough of that," Winston gently wedged himself between Jess and the stranger protectively.

"Jess, Winston, this is April and Andy our resident newlyweds, Tom, who you're probably best avoiding, and Donna. Everyone else seems to be out to lunch," Leslie looked around, wishing Ron could meet the tourists.

"Dude, you look like a basketball player," Andy murmured with a tone of awe, looking up from his latest project: a giant string of paper clips tied together.

Jess beamed, nudging Winston's stomach, "Look Winston, you've got a fan." Winston prepared for what came next.

"A fan?" Andy asked, instantly perplexed.

"Winston played professional basketball in Latvia!"

"What the hell is Latvia?" April asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's in Europe," Donna explained dryly, her eyes drinking in Winston with rare hunger.

Winston nodded, uncomfortably shifting under the woman's gaze. "I played for the European Basketball League."

"Oh man, does that mean you had to play with your feet?" Andy asked, confused.

"Does that mean you're a Latvian cheerleader?" Tom asked Jess.

 

Nick wandered around the corridors of City Hall with suspicion. He felt uncomfortable in the state, in the town, and now in its governmental building. He wasn't used to bureaucracy or the kindness of strangers, and now he was alone to face it.

He paused in front of a particularly gruesome mural, squinting to read its title. "The Spirit of Pawnee," he murmured. "This is a horror film."

"Can I help you?" Ann asked the stranger who looked incredibly lost, and incredibly cute.

"Uh, no," Nick chuckled nervously, flashing what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I just got turned around."

"I can help you get _un-_ turned around," she offered sweetly. "Where were you headed?"

"Uh, not sure. My car broke down outside a park nearby and this woman drove me here..."

"About yeah high," Ann held her hand out at Leslie's height. "Huge smile. Blonde?"

"That's the one, yeah, Leslie something?" Nick offered sheepishly.

"Leslie Knope. Come on, I'll bring you to her department," Ann smiled at the stranger, leading him down the corridor. "I'm Ann by the way," she offered her hand.

"Nick," he shook her hand firmly, comforted somewhat by her smile.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I feel the need to explain that, um, given the alleged location of Pawnee and the drive from L.A. to Chicago the group wouldn't have passed through Southeast Indiana at all so I had them detour and it turns out the track I picked hits both Graceland/Memphis and Dollywood so there you go. Schmidt is the one who insisted on Graceland. He has secret Elvis admiration.
> 
>  
> 
> **Outtake!:**
> 
> "Brooks Brothers?" Tom pointed to Schmidt's merino sweater.
> 
> "J.Crew," Schmidt beamed as he explained. "But you're clearly a man of fine taste, Tom."


End file.
